Legally you can pretty much do what you want with public stuff, but I was wondering is there is a forum policy here or general culture of linking to threads here or quoting posts from with proper attribution and linkage?

Whenever you post something that was not originally written by you you have to add a source (an url when it had been copied from the Internet or a bibliographical reference if you had typed it from a book/newspaper). When you post a newsreport you can't post the whole one but only first paragraph (or first two paragraphs).

Whenever you post something that was not originally written by you you have to add a source (an url when it had been copied from the Internet or a bibliographical reference if you had typed it from a book/newspaper). When you post a newsreport you can't post the whole one but only first paragraph (or first two paragraphs).

Ok I was unclear. I meant if I want to post material original to this board.

Let's take an unlikely case:

TtC posts something brilliant and I want to blog it. I quote it and link back to this board.

OK or not?

Some boards have a general culture of attempting to be isolated islands, which I can respect.

Technically, when you post on the forum, the copyright is the board's. This is logical, because you could not expect to come back in 5 years and tell us: "remove my intellectual property."

However, because I value people's rights, I have stated on more than one occasion that I grant users an unlimited license to reproduce their own posts elsewhere. It just seems like the moral thing to do, even if US law does not require it.

Regardless of who is the copyright owner, copying sections of a work in order to comment on them is covered under "fair use."

Regarding taking a post and commenting on your own blog: I don't have a problem with that, as long as our content is not being used solely to bump up one's blog's content. Linking helps our SEO with google, etc., and helps other people find our site.

While we cannot legally stop anyone from doing this, we would ask that you not create posts on a blog solely for the purpose of attacking the person of a poster or profiling a poster, etc. If I found someone doing that, I would attempt to find creative ways to deter that poster from doing it.

Technically, when you post on the forum, the copyright is the board's. This is logical, because you could not expect to come back in 5 years and tell us: "remove my intellectual property."

However, because I value people's rights, I have stated on more than one occasion that I grant users an unlimited license to reproduce their own posts elsewhere. It just seems like the moral thing to do, even if US law does not require it.

Regardless of who is the copyright owner, copying sections of a work in order to comment on them is covered under "fair use."

Regarding taking a post and commenting on your own blog: I don't have a problem with that, as long as our content is not being used solely to bump up one's blog's content. Linking helps our SEO with google, etc., and helps other people find our site.

While we cannot legally stop anyone from doing this, we would ask that you not create posts on a blog solely for the purpose of attacking the person of a poster or profiling a poster, etc. If I found someone doing that, I would attempt to find creative ways to deter that poster from doing it.

Thank you Father. Just something I was wondering about. I would never engage in the kinda behavior you are rightfully concerned about . . . at least for content on this board.

Technically, when you post on the forum, the copyright is the board's. This is logical, because you could not expect to come back in 5 years and tell us: "remove my intellectual property."

However, because I value people's rights, I have stated on more than one occasion that I grant users an unlimited license to reproduce their own posts elsewhere. It just seems like the moral thing to do, even if US law does not require it.

This is a better policy:

"We clarify that for content you post on any AOL sites, you continue to own the content and AOL has the right to use and share your content." (Source: e-mail regarding forthcoming AOL TOS changes)

Change that to "non-exclusive" right to use and share, and we'll have a winner.

That's fine with me. I'm really unconcerned with the technicality of who "owns" the posts on OCnet, as long as both the board and the users are protected in their respective interests--users insofar as they have control over their contributions, and the board, insofar as it will never be forced to remove posts some time later down the road. I will see about updating any policies with the wording you suggested.